Seriously Thinking about training to become OTR long-haul driver

A couple other things I thought of for you:

Find a reputable company that runs regular lanes through your hometown if you can; and don't ride the Greyhound to orientation, drive or fly even if they won't pay. The bus is for bums, and really is depressing.

Find a company that will put you with an old fart for at least 8 weeks. A lot of these high turnover companies like CRST or Swift have rush job training programs that just want to use you up as a cheap and quick team driver. They don't really teach you enough, and rush to have you teaming in one or two weeks. Teaming is the only way your trainer can make the extra money to justify him training you. How's he training you when he has to sleep while you drive? It's a bad system, those team/train companies are unethical and unsafe for everyone. Find a company that has "super solo" runs, or that will pay your trainer a flat training rate not based on miles. A good trainer will need to spend hours with you in the back row practicing backing and more time on trip planning, etc. There's a lot to it besides going down the interstate. You want a quality on the job training.

Stay away from Swift, JB Hunt, CR England, Schneider, FFE, CRST, Star, US Xpress, Werner, Stevens, Covenent, KLLM. Instead check out Roehl, TMC, Maverick, Heartland Express, Crete, May, Lone Star Transportion. I now you can't be super picky just starting out, but some companies are really bad. Let me know who your accepted by and what area of the country you live, and I can steer you clear of some real skunky companies. None are perfect though.

If you have any commercial driving experience, then that's a plus, because you'll learn stuff faster. Even if you just drove a beer truck around town. Also, companies like hard workers like oil field or construction guys versus paper pushers or convenience store clerks. So don't come to work with sweat pants and flip flops on.

 

Tweetskillet what school are you in and what company are you planning to work for?

 

Nope, that's pretty much how it works. Only thing is, for that time off like your wanting, well, they will pretty much tell you to look else where. Companies want people who will run, but what doesn't make sense to me is they keep us folk's who run hard but don't want to give us the miles. It's a catch 22. This is a business of no home/family life and BS pay these day's. Problem is someone has to do it and I'm one of the many because we need some kind of income to keep going. That and having trucking in our blood are the only two thing's that keep me from saying to hell with it and find a new profession. These day's..... Not worth the time, effort and money you would have to shell out for school and schooling isn't cheap.

 

Well, I have and that one "off the book's" job that I've held for almost 6 year's is what landed me in. I stayed good friend's with the boss man and never gave him any ####. I did my job and picked up the slack of other's and he give's me a good word every single time a company call's to verify.

If it's some #### head house framing outfit or something you worked for and all you did was ##### and whine, well, you can throw that out the window.

 

1) Tracked ?: Personally, I'm not satellite or GPS tracked, because, I run for an LTL carrier with the same out and back route every night. They now about when I'm due back, and can call me on my cell. Most trucking companies do use a Qualcomm satellite communications and tracking system. It can even look at your real time speed, gear your in, rpm, and how you shift. They also use it to audit your logbook. So your fueling time and scale tickets time and toll tickets or automatic toll ticket time must match the logbook. Something coming soon will be EOBR(Electronic Onboard Recording) or "black box" as well as an automatic logbook or computerized log. I'd avoid all this nanny crap as long as I could, because a little common sense flexibility helps more than they know. It's also going to create headaches, hardship, and lost income for the drivers.

2) "First off can you refuse to drive more than 11 hrs in a 24 hr period? Could you drive 5 hrs if you want to, take 2 off for example and drive the other 6 for the day if you know what I mean. .. Basically making your own schedule."?: Short answer -- NO! You are expected to drive as much as allowed by law until you get the job done. Companies don't want to hire "sightseers" or "professional tourists"; they want drivers. The rules say you can drive up to 11 hours then must take a 10 hour sleeper berth(only 8 hours must actually be in the berth, but its logged on that line for 10 consecutive hours). As soon as the 10 hours pass, you can drive another 11 hours. Also, you only have 14 hours to work inside of, then its time for off duty or sleeper berth agian. So, plan your trip accordingly, and hope the shippers and receivers respect this while they take all day to load you while you patiently wait without pay. This is why a carrier with lots of drop/hook loads is a plus. Less none paid waiting on shippers who care less about your schedule.
"Could you drive 5 hrs if you want to, take 2 off for example and drive the other 6 for the day if you know what I mean. .. Basically making your own schedule."?: Yes, as long as the total elapsed time from when you intially come off the sleeper line to again going to sleeper, isn't more than 14 hours. So, 5 + 2 + 6= 13, so you're ok.

3) "Can you sightsee at all 'IF' you wanted to like perhaps you were going by mt rushmore and stopped for a couple hrs is the company tracking you by gps and know everytime truck is stopped, idling, etc." ?: Maybe, if you ever go that way. You rarely will go through South Dakota, most likely. If its off your route, and you waste miles just to sightsee. The company will most likely send a message via Qualcomm asking what you are doing. Read the papers you sign in orientation too. They may be able to dock your pay a dollar per mile for out of route miles that are out of the ordinary and not cleared with dispatch before taking that route. Sometimes this is necessary when roads close due to extreme weather for long periods of time, e.g. Elk Mountain, WY.

4) "If you're big on trying to get some days at home like 3 or 4 in a row is that a possibility"?: Yes, but usually you have to stay out at least 2 weeks, and you will accrue one day off for each week out. So, for 4 days off in a row, it's 4 weeks of solid running. However, when you hit 70 hours within 8 days, you take a 34 hour break. You could try to plan your 34s to be somewhere nice, then rent a car or have a bike with you to go ramble a bit. I've done this in NYC, Sarasota, FL, New Orleans, Dallas, OKC, L.A., Seattle, Denver, Flagstaff. Just don't drive your company truck anywhere during this break, or it will negate the break.

5) In general does a driver have the choice to sometimes run a real lot when feeling like it (and fudging log books) and other times doing more minimal miles? It's hard to shave miles with a satellite tracking system and computerized log audits with these big companies. Small companies without all that technology, yes, to a point. I recommend running hard but log it just as you do it. When you need to slow down, ask your Driver Manager (aka. dispatcher) to give you a load with an extra day on it from time to time so you can layover somewhere along the way. Problem with layovers enroute is that if you break down after the voluntary layover and your load has to be rescheduled, this looks bad on you. If you develop a reputation with your DM as unreliable, this makes his job more stressful, and he will give you crap runs. So try to think about things from your DMs point of view, try to help him out by saving loads that pop up and never turn down loads you can make, even if just barely. Sometimes you won't have time to shower for 2 or 3 days, or you won't have time to eat a good sitdown meal your running so hard. It'll be noticed and pay off in the long run.

You won't have a day to day schedule, or now where you're going from one load to the next. Some days you'll run like hell, and sometimes you'll sit in some hole like Laredo, TX for 4 or 5 days straight with no pay and nothing to do but watch TV or read, living off Wendy's food. This is why many drivers like dedicated runs, relay runs, local work, etc. OTR can really suck when its slow. The middle of the month is slower than the end of the month. Most companies do their shipping at the end and beginning of the month, so take time off in the middle. Also, take as little time off as possible the 3 months before Xmas, and plan more time off jan. to mar. some guys, take those months off completely. Go to Mexico and rent a beach hut or something.

Hope this helps.

 

Most companies want you ready to go at any time, it's hurry up and wait, the waiting is unpaid, of course. However, there are more and more companies that realize how unrealistic that concept is for most people for any length of time. It gets old quick. So check out Celadon and Roehl for starters, they have some atypical programs with lots of timeoff. Or, after you pay your dues, look for a dedicated run, relay run with an OTR carrier or better yet, go work for an LTL with dedicated linehaul runs. That's what I do. Work Sun through Thurs night with every Fri and Sat night off. Drive exactly 2630 miles every week at .50 per mile and have fully paid health insurance with great coverage, matching 401k, and holiday pay of $280 each holiday, plus 10 vacation days at same amount per day. Not too bad. Companies that don't have to look for drivers, the drivers have to wait to get on with them; those are the ideal people to work for.

 

I'd put in one whole year OTR before applying anywhere else, you need to show stability. It looks bad to shift companies every other month. Plan well who you want to apply with and be ready to stick it out with them for a year no matter what. Don't make snap decisions based on your emotions. Always make a big decision over time with a lot of thought and a cool head.

You'll be sitting A LOT! And it rarely gets to be in a place you want to be.

You can exercise if the weather is nice and there's not too much piss steaming up off the parking lot. I new a guy that did 500 pushups and 500 situps everyday. Plus he would run for a half hour or more, depending on things. Running is probably the best sport; its a pain keeping a bike clean hanging off the back of a truck, and if you pull a reefer I doubt it would clear. Some people do it with old cheap bikes. As for weights, if you aren't teaming and have more room, I used to carry a soloflex flat bench and soloflex dumbbells, but found few good, clean, warm spots to use them outside. I would use the dumbbells inside the sleeper though, just skipped the bench exercises. The guy I knew that did the situps and pushups did his situps in the shower and pushups before showering at his truck with his gloves on (again, piss on the pavement) and his feet up on the bottom truck step "to make it harder" he said. Some guys also join a big national chain gym and try to get in there once or twice a week and hit their whole body really hard. Heavy weights once a week real hard is all you really need anyway. Most truckers will stare at you doing all this, like your some kind of space alien. They are mostly obese, waiting for a stroke or heart attack before reaching 50.

Most, you have to have your own cooler. I would mostly eat foods I didn't have to cook but that are good for you. Non fat refried beans, turkey chili, canned salmon and tuna and chicken, cereal. Then I liked Subway once a day. And lots of water, no sugared up teas and cokes. That makes you fat quick.

You can average $50 to $60K a year OTR after two years. I used to average about 2500 miles a week overall counting my days off into the average. Or about 2800 not counting the days off. Just multiply that 2500 number with your pay per mile and see what you'll make. If I can't average 2500 in a normal economy, I'm on the phone with the DM asking what "I" can do to get my miles up for them. Not the other way around. How you frame things, get you farther with a DM. I would also try to deliver early if they would let me by calling them as soon as I get into town or if and when I called for directions. That can boost your miles right there. OTR comapanies are pretty slim with benefits, few match anything to the 401k if they even offer a 401k plan, the insurance is usually paid in full by you and you may even get a better deal with einsurance. com. That's where I bought mine, the coverage was better and cheaper. I was in my 20s and healthy though.

As for job satisfaction, the first year I loved it because I was going new places. Then it was just a job mostly. The traffic out east is a pain, every city has a jam, people won't let you change lanes, they cut you off, and when you can't get over for them they will pass you, flip you off, and slow down in front of you. I've had people drive 45 in a 65 in front of me tapping their brakes, because I didn't let them in. They have to yield not me, and I can't cut people off getting over for someone who won't yield. There's too many selfish "me first" attitudes out there. Find a company that runs the west and the plains, and pulls faltbed to avoid so much of the big cities that the reefers and vans always end up in. Patience is a big virtue to have. Sometimes I would just have to park somewhere and go wash my face or walk or run to keep homicidal thoughts out of my head. It gets that aggravating.